Dry Rock. What needs to be introduced?

Too many to list really. Let your tank cycle with the dry, and then pick up a good established live piece from the LFS , a friends tank, or online.
 
Its just the beneficial bacteria that completes the nitrogen cycle so you could add it right away and it will speed up the process. Just make sure you're using RODI water and the dry rock is well rinsed so you don't kill the live rock. The live rock may also have some die off on it if it was out of the water during transportation and help start the cycle. The live rock may also have some coraline algae that will seed the dry rock and turn it purple.
 
I want the coraline algae but i was thinking I could buy a live rock and scrape it off into the tank. I already have bacteria. Stability put a bunch in. I got nirtites and nitrates two days after introducing stability. I dont really want to add live rock because one of the reasons I used dry rock is its pest free. oh yeah and its cheap.
 
I just started a tank with all dry rock and won't be adding any live rock (unless it comes on a coral). I was planning to do the dead shrimp method, but there was apparently enough dead stuff on the dry rock to give me a good ammonia spike. Takes longer to do it this way, but it will still become live rock. There won't be any pods or freebies with it, and it obviously won't have coralline algae, but that will all be introduced eventually anyways with corals.
 
I bought Florida Live Rock and had it shipped air. No pests at all and my tank is beautiful and thriving will all kinds of life. Plants, clams, corals, sponges, coraline. Never understood why someone would rather have a tank full of fake looking white dry rock because they are afraid of pests. A little bit of algae and they look like crap. If you want to seed with coraline, buy a bag of coraline rubble off Ebay and either borrow your neighbors blender or fill a bag and smash it up with a hammer and let your powerheads blow it around your tank. Chipping some off a rock isnt worth your time.
 
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Fake looking white dry rock...that is exactly the same rock as the rest? Most of the time people use it because it was either free or way cheaper, and once the other stuff is introduced, it will all be the same
 
thelawnwrangler said:
That looks like an awesome deal. Would a newbie be able to start/cycle a tank with it? I am worried about the the stories of bad smells although that was 10 years ago and related to uncured rock?
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You do not have to worry about that with TBS rock. It is shipped in water so there is minimal die off, you just have to monitor ammonia levels during the cycle.
 
jayball said:
You do not have to worry about that with TBS rock. It is shipped in water so there is minimal die off, you just have to monitor ammonia levels during the cycle.
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If I started with lets say 75 lbs in a 75 gallon brand new system. I am thinking sump and protein skimmer.

For the life rock only period and cycle I wouldn't run protein skimmer, and if ammonia gets out of control I need to do water changes?

I want to give the LFS some business and I am sure I will buy tank from them, but at the same time 10 bucks a lb is killer
 
Frostyfishman said:
What critters that come in on LR are essential and need to be introduced to a tank started with dry rock? If any. :reading:
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Not anything essential, but some nice to have things.
They'll come in as hitchikers on other stuff you add like coral frags etc. You couldn't keep pods out of your tank if you wanted to, and once a few come they will populate to match the food available and any predators you have. Live rock is a shortcut, but a lot of things that grow well in the ocean don't last as long in our tanks. Like I had a few barnacles that were fun to watch but they died off after a while, just not suited for the stability of captivity I think.
 
The Florida live rock shipped air has a small amount of die off and when used to start a new tank it helps start the cycle (no raw shrimp or urine as I've heard of people doing). Just put it in and you may have an egg smell for a day or two. You can add carbon to help. My Ammonia spiked high after day 3 and I did one 20% and It finished cycling in 2 weeks. Beautiful stuff with plant life, coraline, live clams, corals, sponges etc.This is only for NEW tanks. $4/ lb plus shipping- my LFS sells plain old LR for $8/ lb Trick is getting it shipped fast and getting it in your tank fast
 
I also started off with dry rock in my 180 and I had a wicked Hair algae problem. When I up graded to my 300 I gave the rock an acid bath and not one issue with HA and its been a year now. Highly suggest the acid bath then seed it with live rock
 
reefer1970 said:
The Florida live rock shipped air has a small amount of die off and when used to start a new tank it helps start the cycle (no raw shrimp or urine as I've heard of people doing). Just put it in and you may have an egg smell for a day or two. You can add carbon to help. My Ammonia spiked high after day 3 and I did one 20% and It finished cycling in 2 weeks. Beautiful stuff with plant life, coraline, live clams, corals, sponges etc.This is only for NEW tanks. $4/ lb plus shipping- my LFS sells plain old LR for $8/ lb Trick is getting it shipped fast and getting it in your tank fast
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I might get some egg smell with LFS live rock as well though? or is smell die off and related to the shipping?

If so lying about price might be better than egg smell for my marriage
 
SUbmerged live rock doesn't smell. If your water smells like rotten eggs it's hydrogen sulfide, which is not nice stuff.
 
Do I need to be around for the tank to cycle

was thinking about doing a bio cube, and will be gone a week for Thanksgiving seems like a perfect time for the tank to cycle with life rock.

What could go wrong without me that I could do something about if I was there? Live rock die off causing ammonia spike causing live rock death?

If I was there I could do water changes?

I guess I would miss testing daily to see if it cycled or not?
 
sir_dudeguy said:
Fake looking white dry rock...that is exactly the same rock as the rest? Most of the time people use it because it was either free or way cheaper, and once the other stuff is introduced, it will all be the same
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:fish1: Sorry Sir, but that is not true, their is a lot more to live rock than bacteria. Most people who use dead rock, do so because it's cheap, or they don't understand the benefits of using live rock. :fish1:
 
I agree Green Chromis. There are huge benifits to live rock and to me its a no brainer to buy live rock from the bottom of the ocean for $4/ lb instead of $8 live rock from the LFS that is boring plain rock with no life on it. My tank is 6 months old and the rock has so many plants and clams, corals, and coraline that it looks like I've had it established for years. I've had zero pests
 
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